Autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, graft versus host disease, systemic lupus erythromatosis (SLE), scleroderma, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, organ rejection, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and other afflictions. It is becoming increasingly apparent that many vascular disorders, including atherosclerotic forms of such disorders, have an autoimmune component, and a number of patients with vascular disease have circulating auto antibodies. Autoimmune diseases may be divided into two general types, namely connective tissue autoimmune diseases (exemplified by arthritis, lupus and scleroderma), and failures of specific organs (exemplified by multiple sclerosis, diabetes and atherosclerosis, in which latter case the vasculature is regarded as a specific organ).
In general terms, a normally functioning immune system distinguishes between the antigens of foreign invading organisms (non-self) and tissues native to its own body (self), so as to provide a defense against foreign organisms. Central to the proper functioning of the immune system, therefore, is the ability of the system to discriminate between self and non-self. When a patient's immune system fails to discriminate between self and non-self and starts to react against self antigens, then an autoimmune disorder arises.
The causes responsible for the reaction of an affected person's immune system against self are not fully understood, and several different theories have been put forward. The immune response to an antigen is triggered by the interaction of the antigen with receptors of predetermined specificity on certain lymphocytes. It is believed that, at an early stage in development of the immune system, those lymphocytes with receptors recognizing self antigens are recognized and eliminated from the body's system by a process of deletion. Alternatively, or in addition, such self-reactive lymphocytes may be controlled by the suppression of their activities. Both mechanisms probably occur.
The immune system of normal healthy individuals is able to identify and to react against a family of proteins which are highly conserved in nature (i.e. they have a similar structure throughout all living organisms). This family of proteins is called the stress or heat-shock proteins (HSP), and they are grouped according to their approximate molecular weights. Members of the HSP family include the HSP60 group, including, among others, proteins in the molecular weight range 50 to 100 kilodaltons. Increased production of HSP's was first identified as a response to heat stress, but this now appears to be part of a general response to a variety of cell stresses. HSPs are normally located within cells, and their function appears to be the stabilization of the structure of various proteins in stressed cells, so as to protect the cell from the protein denaturing effects of various stressors. However, it is likely that HSPs have a number of other functions which are, as yet, not fully understood. Heat shock proteins, HSP's, are discussed in some detail by William J. Welch, in an article in "Scientific American", May, 1993, page 56.
One group of the family of HSP's, the HSP 60 group, contains proteins which show about 50% identity between bacterial cells and human cells. Infection with bacteria containing HSP 65 results in an immune response in healthy humans against the bacterial HSP65, evidenced by the production of anti-HSP65 antibodies. Thus, a healthy immune system appears to be able to identify and react against self-like antigens.
In certain pathologies, for example many autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma, patients also show the presence of antibodies to HSP 65. In the past, this has led to conclusions that autoimmune diseases result from bacterial infection. Now it seems likely that autoimmune diseases can, at least in some cases, be associated with an inappropriate control of the autoimmune response. In other words, it is possible that the antibodies to HSP 65 result from an autoimmune reaction initiated by HSPs from the body itself, but one which has been improperly controlled. In such cases, therefore, it should be possible to control an inappropriate autoimmune response, by stimulating the body's natural immune control mechanisms, using a particular and specific method of vaccination.
To stimulate the body's immune response, a vaccine is required which will, upon injection into the host body, enable the host immune system to present the antigens contained in the vaccine to cells of the host immune system. Antigen presentation is performed by antigen presenting cells.
A vaccine to treat autoimmune diseases should contain antigens or fragments thereof (peptides) that will activate the body's immune control mechanisms present. In addition, the antigens (peptides) should be present in a form which can be recognized by the host immune system when the vaccine is introduced into the host. Certain of the antigens may be present on intact cells. The objective of such a vaccination is to activate regulatory immune pathways, particularly those controlling autoimmune responses, thereby downregulating the autoimmune response.
The particular antigens which will activate the control mechanisms of a mammalian autoimmune system are not fully understood. It is however recognized that they may include antigens derived from lymphocyte receptors, which may function to stimulate control mechanisms, to inhibit those lymphocytes which cause pathological autoimmune responses in the patient. They may also include HSPs, such as the HSP 60 group of proteins, and leucocyte surface molecules such as those of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) including MHC Class II molecules. MHC Class II molecules function physiologically to present peptides to -antigen-presenting cell as part of the immune response.
It is important that the lymphocyte receptors and other cell-derived molecules for vaccination of an auto-immune suffering patient be derived from cells obtained from the same patient, since this system will contain the autoimmune specificity. Receptors on other leucocytes in the blood may alternatively or additionally be important in a proposed vaccination process. The use of such a system as the basis of a vaccine may be considered analogous to the use of a particular viral antigen as a vaccine to treat and prevent disease caused by that virus. A vaccine for treating an autoimmune disease should, therefore, be prepared from a sample of the patient's own blood. Such a vaccine may be described as an autovaccine.
For antigens to be effective in stimulating (or inhibiting) the immune system, the antigens should be presented to immune cells of the host system by antigen-presenting cells, which are naturally present in the body. Many of the antigen-presenting cells are phagocytes, which attach to the antigens, engulf them by phagocytosis, and break them down or process them. The preparation of such an autovaccine should include a process whereby the lymphocytes and other leucocytes in the vaccine, which may be a source of antigens, are in a form whereby they are likely to be phagocytosed by phagocytic antigen-presenting cells upon reinjection into the patient, so that the antigens or effective residues thereof are presented on the surface of an antigen-presenting cell. Then they can effect a controlling mechanism on the immune system, either inhibitory or stimulatory.
During the normal growth period of a mammalian body, tissues become reshaped with areas of cells being removed. This is accomplished by the cells' undergoing a process called programmed cell death or apoptosis, the apoptotic cells disintegrating and being phagocytosed while not becoming disrupted.